Ellinas gets straight line test chance

Marussia F1 Team young driver Tio Ellinas will complete a straight line test for the team on Tuesday 18th June.

The scheduled straight line aerodynamic evaluation will take place at the Kemble Airfield and will be the Cypriot’s first taste of Formula One machinery.

The 21-year-old currently races for the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team and currently leads the title race after four races. He scored a sixth and fourth place finish in last weekends two races held at the Valencia circuit, the series only stand alone race.

He will also drive for the team at the Young Driver Test held at the Silverstone Circuit next month. The test will help him to familiarise himself with the MR02 before his first full test. Ellinas was awarded the drive after being the most successful entrant in the Marussia backed GP3 team last season. He will be the first Greek-Cypriot to drive a Formula One car.

Speaking about the chance, Ellinas said: “It goes without saying that I am thrilled to get this additional opportunity to drive the Marussia F1 Team MR02 race car. I have been looking forward to the Young Driver Test since last Autumn and the weeks can’t pass quickly enough. Being able to conduct the straight line test this week will help to bridge the gap until Silverstone and will also mean I can hit the ground running there as I will already be familiar with the car systems and the Team’s procedures.

“In the meantime I have been trying to focus on my GP3 season as I want to give it my all. I can’t pretend I’m not excited about the F1 tests and I would like to thank the Marussia F1 Team for the faith they have shown in me. I hope to do a good job to reward that.”

John Booth, Team Principal of the Marussia F1 Team, said on the decision: “Tio has done a very impressive job for our GP3 team over one and a half seasons now. We were very pleased to welcome him back for a second term and even more delighted when he brought us our first victory of the season in the opening round in Spain. He is definitely a star of the future and deserves both of the opportunities that we are putting his way, starting with this week’s aero test at Kemble. This will provide him with some good familiarisation time with the car, which will then enable him to push when we get to the Young Driver Test next month. We look forward to seeing what he can do.”

Image courtesy of GP3 Media

Jack Leslie

Jack Leslie is a freelance motorsport and Formula 1 journalist. He has been part of the Richland F1 team since the very start and made his F1 paddock debut for the website at the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. Jack also writes for Car Throttle, RumbleStripNews, Formula1Blog, PureF1 and F1 Plus, as well as running a popular blog.